Heidi Carroll

 asked for assistance with storing firearms. Silica gel can be useful, but
it will only be effective in a sealed environment. You will also need about
25 kg (55 lbs) of silica gel per cubic metre (35 cu ft) to be effective.
Ideally, your RH should be about 40-45%, and temperature 20-25 degrees
Celsius (68-77F). As an alternative, you could use a vapour phase inhibitor
(VPI, VCI), but again, you will need a sealed enclosure. There are several
companies that make these, eg Cortec. The good thing about VPI's is that
you will need a lot less than silica gel. The Swedish military used Camphor
wood for over a hundred years to store their firearms. You should be able
to seal the gun cabinet without going to too much expense. I suspect that
most of the gas leakage will be around the door. You should be able to get
door sealing tapes from your local hardware store. These won't comp[letely
solve the problem, but will redice it significantly.

DO NOT USE steel wool  or brass wool on firearms to remove corrosion. If
you do you will scratch the surface, and in the case of brass wool you will
definitely cause corrosion problems later on. If you need to have the
firearms treated then get a conservator to treat them. An experienced
conservator will take about 8 hours to fully conserve a rifle, which will
include coating the metal components with a microcrystalline wax.

The application of gun oil is okay, but the gun must be cleaned first,
otherwise you will just be trapping dirt. Please note that if you do decide
to use oil, then you must be prepared to remove and replace it on a regular
basis. All oils oxidize over time, and corrosive/abrasive dirt & dust get
trapped by them. I have seen many examples of preservative greases & oils
that have been applied to uncleaned weapons, or left on for too long, that
have subsequently caused extensive corrosion.


George Bailey
Objects Conservator
Australian War Memorial
Treloar Centre for Conservation
4 Callan St, Mitchell, A.C.T. 2911
Australia
Phone: +61 2 6243 4440
fax:   +61 2 6241 7998
email: [log in to unmask]

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